Big South Fork and Cumberland Gap: Kentucky's other big national park sites

Mammoth Cave gets most of the attention, but the National Park Service lists nine sites that include Kentucky. Some are historic sites, like Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Camp Nelson National Monument and Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument. Two are big, outdoorsy places in the southeast corner of the state: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Neither charges an entrance fee. Here's what's open as of Oct. 24, 2026.

Big South Fork (Kentucky and Tennessee)

Big South Fork is always open and doesn't need an entrance pass, though some things have fees, like camping and backcountry permits. The park covers land on both sides of the state line. People come for hiking, whitewater paddling, rock climbing, horseback riding and camping.

Blue Heron, on the Kentucky side. Blue Heron, also known as Mine 18, was a coal town run by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company. Its mines ran from 1937 until December 1962. No original buildings were left standing, so in the 1980s the park built open metal "ghost structures" where the buildings used to be. Inside each one, you can hear recordings of former residents talking about life in the town. The outdoor ghost structures are open year-round. The indoor Blue Heron Interpretive Center is open Memorial Day weekend through Oct. 31, Wednesday through Sunday. It closes for the season after this month and reopens in spring.

The Big South Fork Scenic Railway runs from the Stearns Depot to Blue Heron. The trip takes 45 minutes each way, with about an hour at Blue Heron before heading back. The railway is run separately from the park, so check its own site for dates and tickets. One more thing to know: the Blue Heron Tipple Bridge has been temporarily closed since late September 2025, after a Federal Highway Administration inspection found structural problems with the bridge decking.

Winter camping is new this year. On Aug. 25, 2026, the park announced that Blue Heron Campground will stay open through the 2026–2027 winter, December through March, as a pilot program. Book it on Recreation.gov. In Kentucky, Alum Ford is a small primitive campground with six first-come, first-served sites, open year-round. Bear Creek, a horse camp, takes reservations April through November. On the Tennessee side, Bandy Creek and Station Camp campgrounds are open year-round.

Visitor centers. Bandy Creek Visitor Center in Tennessee is open year-round, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, and closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Stearns Visitor Contact Station in Kentucky opens only on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The park's main number is 423-569-9778.

Rules to know. Drones aren't allowed. Black bears live in the park, so store food properly. You can only bring firewood from nearby counties: McCreary County in Kentucky, and Scott, Morgan, Pickett and Fentress counties in Tennessee.

Cumberland Gap (Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia)

Cumberland Gap was the first great gateway to the west. The park has about 85 miles of trails, and there's no entrance fee. The entrance is on US 25E just south of Middlesboro. From I-75, take the 25E exit at Corbin and head south about 50 miles. The visitor center is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The phone number is 606-248-2817.

Pinnacle Overlook is the classic stop. The Pinnacle Overlook Trail is an easy 600-foot walk, one way, to the park's most visited overlook. On a clear day you can see three states and 100 miles into the distance. In winter, keep in mind that ice, snow, high winds or lightning can close Pinnacle Overlook Road, other park roads, the campground or the visitor center. Call ahead on iffy days.

Good walks:

• The Tri-State Peak Trail ends at a spot where you can stand in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia at once. It's at least 1.2 miles one way.
• The Wilderness Road Trail, 2.4 miles, follows the historic route through the Gap.
• The Fitness Trail is a 1.8-mile loop that starts at the visitor center.

Tours are done for the year. Gap Cave tours run May through August. They last about 2 hours, include 183 stairs and are for ages 5 and up. Hensley Settlement tours run mid-May through October and take 4 to 5 hours, including about an hour each way in a park van up a steep mountain road. You book both by phone at 606-248-2817, up to a month ahead and by noon the day before. Expect both to return next spring.

Camping. Wilderness Road Campground is on the Virginia side, about 3 miles from the visitor center. It's open year-round, but loops A, E, F, G and O close for the season. Book on Recreation.gov.

Planning both in one trip

The two parks are both in southeastern Kentucky, but they're not next door to each other, so check a map before you plan both in one day. Both have their own conditions pages, linked below. Our park pages for Big South Fork and Cumberland Gap show the latest NPS alerts and weather warnings, checked daily.